First Time CP

This was my first time at the CP so I wasn't quite sure what to expect but I knew there would be some great singletrack having previously ridden the Mont. I'd never ridden Stromlo much to the amazement of Dicko, Dave and Michale at dinner. Don't know why I'd left it so long.

Saturday morning and I was on the start line in Wave 4, I was under orders to get near the front or at least make sure I was near the front by the time we hit the ST. As we set off along the fire trail my legs were feeling very heavy but I made sure I was heading in the right direction and getting past people. I hit the ST and discovered that my rear brake was making more noise than a pig about to be put on a spit roast, it was also pretty ineffective. It wasn't long and the squealing stopped and it became absolutely useless, this was slightly preferable to the noise. This made things a little more interesting and I had to adjust my riding, by the time 15km came along I was starting to enjoy it. The race continued fairly uneventfully, I was enjoying the ST. I had to take a few extra precautions on some of the fire trail/gravel descents backing off a bit on entry and then working hard to catch back up with a few people that I was riding with.

I was pleased to see transition and thought about getting the mechanic to look at the bike but decided it would be a waste of time, I'd made it this far without it. I grabbed a bite to eat, filled up the bottle and camelback and set off again. Once I got to the start of the timed section again I was pretty much riding with one other guy (Matt) who had been with me from very early on. This time he was ahead and I was working hard to keep up with him. We changed over a few time on the way to Stromlo and once on the climb I just followed him up. At this point I said I'd see him at the finish as I knew I couldn't go hard on the descent. I had to let a few people go by on some of the berms but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Once down I went as hard as I could on the tarmac and just caught up to the back wheel of Matt at the finish line. Job done, overall very happy with the ride and looking forward to doing it again.

Thanks to the other guys for making it a great day and a bit! See most of you at the Willo.